Khamzat Chimaev is not yet vaccinated against COVID-19 despite catching it so badly he almost retired

• Khamzat Chimaev is not yet vaccinated against the coronavirus.
• The fighter suffered an infection from the virus so bad he was taken to hospital earlier this year.

ABU DHABI - One of the most exciting and dominant prospects in all combat sports Khamzat Chimaev is not yet vaccinated against COVID-19, despite having the disease so severely that he almost retired from the fight game aged 26 in March.

At the worst of his illness, Chimaev was coughing up blood and was taken to hospital in an ambulance. "He thought he was going to die," a representative of his called Majdi Shammas detailed in a Front Kick documentary earlier this year.

The UFC then flew him from Europe to the US so he could receive treatment there.

Chimaev eventually recovered and teased fight fans that a summer return to the Octagon was looking likely. He said he was going to "smash everybody."

Now 27 years old and just days away from his first fight in 13 months in Abu Dhabi, Chimaev told reporters at an event Insider attended Wednesday that he is not yet vaccinated against COVID-19.

He will, however, get the jabs when he returns home, he said.

"I'm not vaccinated but I have to do that when I go back to Sweden," Chimaev said. His home regarding a country that has fully vaccinated approximately 70% of its population, according to Reuters.

On the politicized nature of the vaccination debate, Chimaev added: "My brother didn't vaccinate, and other guys I know.

"For me, it doesn't matter. If it's a good thing to be healthy, why not."

COVID-19 vaccines have been shown over and over to be safe and effective.

Unvaccinated people were 11 times more likely to die from COVID-19 than vaccinated people, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Chimaev, an unbeaten combatant in nine pro MMA bouts, competes Saturday against Li Jingliang on the main card of the UFC 267 event that takes place inside the Etihad Arena in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

The show will be broadcast on ESPN+ in the U.S. and BT Sport 2 in the UK.